


Sastiel Love Week #2

by kisahawklin



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angel Wings, Angst, Autumn, Episode: s10e07 Girls Girls Girls, First Time, M/M, Sastiel Love Week, day in the life, happy ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 03:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12718908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisahawklin/pseuds/kisahawklin
Summary: Seven days of delightful Sastiel, for my wonderful recipient@samspurpletoothbrush. The prompts were:•  Monday (6th): Firsts•  Tuesday (7th):  AU (reverse verse, all human, all angels, a/b/o, coffee shop, college, hs, etc)•  Wednesday (8th): outsider pov or day in the life•  Thursday (9th): Angst•  Friday (10th): Autumn themed (halloween, cold weather, pumpkin spiced lattes, etc)•  Saturday (11th): Episode related (things we missed, what you wish happened, etc)•  Sunday (12th):   Domestic or Future!fic aka let them be happy™





	1. Day 1: Firsts

~~~

I think Sam and Cas are firsts for a lot of things for each other. Guessing Sam is Cas's first male human lover. I think you could make a case that Cas is Sam's (but honestly, I feel just as compelling a case could be made that he isn't). But I'm pretty sure Cas is Sam's first angel, though. 

Cas is quite possibly the first and only person who could ever know Sam better than Dean. I think Sam is likely the only being who knows all of Cas's failings and doesn't judge him for them. 

Bet you Sam is the only human that makes Cas want to do human things like eat and nap and snuggle. I bet the first time Cas comforts Sam by being physically close, he feels something he's never felt with any human before, that desire to touch them and comfort them and the satisfaction it gives him to feel Sam curl into it – into him. Imagine how it becomes quickly addicting, the sensory experience of holding Sam close, of petting his hair, of inhaling his scent, and of simply being the one Sam reaches for when he needs that closeness. Pretty sure that's the beginning of the end for Cas. The first human to steal his heart is Sam Winchester, and Cas doesn't even try to stop it, he just offers it up willingly.

~~~


	2. Day 1, Take 2: the first time Cas shows Sam his celestial body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not in love with my first submission, so I wanted to write you something maybe a little more satisfying. (Sorry it's so late – I meant to finish it last night and send it, but best of intentions, you know…) Anyway, I love first times – I am so enamoured of the multitude of ways people can get together, you know? I probably could write a couple dozen. Only problem is, my first time stories are never less than 10k, and I just don’t have the time to write that kind of thing right this second. I’ve been trying to think of other firsts, but the only one that came to mind was Sam seeing Cas's wings, and two other lovely anons have written those stories for Sastiel Love Week already. Still, I love wings, so I'm doing it too, but adding that it's the first time Cas shares his celestial body with Sam.

~~~

It’s not that Sam doesn’t like Cas’s human vessel. Jimmy’s cute, and he has those beautiful blue eyes. And the sex is great, all of which is awesome, but… he always feels a little bit like the part of Cas that he wants the most, the part of Cas that is truly _Castiel_ and not an angel trying to diminish himself to the point of human understanding… he feels like he’s missing that part.

He doesn’t even know how to broach the subject. He’s always assumed that angels don’t have sex in their true forms; that it’s the human body, the _vessel_ that brings out the desire. And Cas’s true form might blind him or could kill him maybe… if he can even see it.

He sighs. Cas is curled into him, his ear resting right over Sam’s heart. He likes the sounds of the human body, heartbeats, breathing, even the way his stomach gurgles while he’s digesting. It’s not that Sam doesn’t enjoy it, but it feels so very… human.

He can’t help his sigh, and Cas looks up at him. “What’s wrong, Sam?”

Sam can’t help a sad smile. To have someone even recognize that particular mental state just from a sigh is more than he could have ever asked for. He closes his eyes. “Nothing, Cas. This is perfect.”

Cas sits up, looking at Sam closely. Sam doesn’t know what he’s trying to see. He doesn’t read minds, and he’s proven just as oblivious to most of Sam’s body language as any Winchester. Maybe he’s reading Sam’s aura. He wonders it what it says.

“You’re unhappy.”

Sam shakes his head. One strike. “Nope.”

“Something is wrong.”

Strike two. “Nope.”

Cas frowns, like he knows Sam’s being pedantic. “You’re not content; there is something at unrest with you. Don’t lie to me simply because you think there’s no way to change it.”

Sam rolls his eyes. Cas always goes overboard. He doesn’t like to strike out when reading Sam’s moods. He’s not wrong, though. Sam doesn’t usually let things he can’t have get him down. He has so much more than he ever deserved. It’s stupid to ask for anything else.

“It’s nothing.”

Cas exhales in irritation. “Try me,” he says, and it is so _human_ that Sam can’t help it.

“Do you miss being a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent?”

Cas shifts so he’s facing Sam now; Sam shifts too, sitting up and leaning back against the headboard. He hates just lying there while Cas stares at him. At least if he’s sitting up he can use his body to shield himself.

“I don’t understand the question.”

Sam shrugs. He can remember what it felt like in the cage with Lucifer. The physical torture was terrible, but when his body was taken away and it was just his soul – the first moment of being free, the way his consciousness exploded outward… he will never be able to describe it. It was joy, freedom, bliss. Until Lucifer started in on that, too. 

Sometimes his body still feels wrong, like he’s stuffed in too tight. He can’t imagine what it’s like for an angel.

“I just…” Sam sighs. “Isn’t it difficult, staying in a vessel for me all the time?”

Cas tilts his head, like he’s figured out what Sam is really asking. He has flashes of insight like that sometimes; hope rises in Sam's chest and catches fire, spreading across his skin like it’s waking up, pins and needles.

“You wish to see another form,” Cas says. “This vessel is disappointing to you?”

“No,” Sam says, leaning forward to catch Cas’s arm. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Your vessel is fine, I like it… but it’s not really _you_ , is it?”

“It is,” Cas says. “No one is inside this vessel but me. Jimmy Novak is in heaven.”

It begs many questions and they crowd Sam’s brain all at once. He sets them aside and concentrates on getting his actual intent across to Cas.

“Yeah, no, that’s _fine_ , Cas, it…” _doesn’t bother me_ … But it does. It has. He has been able to put it away until now, but it’s still only derailing his actual wish. “Whatever, it is what it is. It’s not about what I see, but what I _don’t_ see.”

Cas nods. “You wish to see a more angelic form.”

Sam shrugs. “I like you the way you are, Cas, I just… feel like I’m missing something. Something really important.” 

Cas nods solemnly. "I have held your soul in my hands. I understand wanting to know the entirety of someone."

It's humbling to think Cas knows all of him and loves him anyway; it's not what he is looking for exactly, but it is still amazing. 

"I wish to be known to you too, Sam, but it is a dangerous thing, trying to share anything celestial with humans. They are such delicate forms."

The disappointment can't even set in before Cas says, "But maybe we can try. Your body has had an angel's grace in it. Perhaps I can give you some of mine to strengthen you, and you would be able to see some semblance of my true form without breaking."

It's emotional whiplash, the unformed disappointment immediately giving way to hope and excitement. "I'd like that, Cas." There is a little niggling doubt, though, so he asks, because he doesn't want to freak out in the middle of this and make Cas feel bad. "You're not going to possess me, right?"

Cas shakes his head. "No, Sam, I can simply share some of my grace." He smiles, a little smirky around the edges. "Perhaps through a kiss."

Sam rolls his eyes, but scoots over to get close enough to Cas. Cas takes his face in his hands, gently tucking his hair behind his ears, and pulls Sam down for a kiss. 

They've done this a lot; Sam knows the feel of Cas's mouth on his own, knows the way Cas likes to kiss, but this is different. He teases Sam's mouth open and instead of using his tongue to explore, his grace enters into Sam's mouth. It's electric, and he shivers at the overwhelming tingling sensation. The grace seems to evaporate, absorbed into Sam's body and making it feel lighter than air. He also feels hot, burning hot, the way the trials felt, like there was lava in his veins, burning him from the inside out.

Cas pulls back from the kiss, standing at the end of the bed, looking like his regular self, but also… bigger. Sam has to squint, and look at him from his peripheral vision, but when he does, he can sense Castiel's true form, spreading up and out of the bunker, dark, but not empty; huge wings that are spread wide for Sam's examination. They're miles above the ground, Sam wouldn't be able to reach them, but he can't help wanting to feel them under his fingers. He brings his attention back to Cas's body and realizes there is more to it than simply a human shape; there are other things writhing in there, a panther and an eagle and… a network of interconnected trees, roots deep and strong. Other things, too, things he doesn't recognize as being from Earth. 

"Cas," he says, looking everywhere at once. He tries not to blink; he knows his grasp on the form is tenuous and any small thing could break it. "You're so beautiful."

There is a sound, something that sounds like tectonic plates shifting, and Sam's pretty sure that's Cas's true voice. 

"Yes," Cas says out loud, and the vision starts to break up as Cas's human form shifts forward toward Sam. "I said thank you. But we must end this now; I would not injure you."

Sam breathes in – trying to capture the ozone smell and tie it to his memory, save as much of the experience as possible – and then closes his eyes, waiting for Cas to do what needs to be done to bring him back.

Another kiss, gentle again, Sam's face in Cas's hands, and the grace being pulled out of him, the burning sensation cooling, a density returning to his limbs. When the kiss ends, Cas drops kisses all over Sam's face, his cheeks and forehead and chin. 

"That was amazing," Sam says, pulling Cas in and flopping them both back on the bed. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Thank you for wanting to know it," Cas says, and Sam rolls his eyes. He can't understand anyone who doesn't want to know that, or anything they could learn about angels, or Castiel in particular. 

Cas's wing curls around Sam's back and Sam closes his eyes in pleasure, feeling feathers against his skin. 

Wait –

"Cas?"

He opens his eyes, suddenly afraid he's dreaming. He can still see Cas's wing. A shadow, only, not full of galaxies like the wings he remembers from a moment ago, but still beautiful, and a solid shape that his mind doesn't shy away from. "What did you do?"

The wing around his back tugs, and Sam scoots closer. "I left just a trace. Enough for you to see more of me than my vessel."

Sam is again humbled that a celestial being could love him, and give him such gifts. "I can't tell you what this means," Sam says, fumbling over his words. There are no words for the kind of beauty Cas shows him. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Sam," Cas says, kissing him on the tip of his nose. "You are welcome to everything I am."

~~~


	3. Day 2: AUs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll warn you that I’m not satisfied with this either, so I’ll likely be writing you a second one for this, too. Sorry! This Sastiel Love Week has been a slow start for me.

~~~

I will admit that AUs are sometimes tough for me. These guys have had an impossible twelve and a half years (and years or eons before that) and I just… can't imagine certain parts of their characterization without their experiences and the world. Most often what comes to mind is a canon fork, a "what if?" scenario. 

There's a lot of those for me. What if Cas had brought Sam back **with** his soul? What if **Sam** had ended up in Purgatory with Cas? What if Sam had actually closed the gates to Hell and Cas brought him back? What if Cas had gone to Sam for support instead of Dean when he was struggling with the civil war in Heaven? 

Let's sit with that one just a little. So Sam would probably have listened to Cas, at least, and not shut him down with "don't do it because I told you so." I think he would still have tried to talk Cas out of it, using his experience with Ruby to explain why working with demons was a bad idea. He'd research some other way for Cas to stop Raphael, and it would have worked – you know it would. Think of it – no leviathans. No broken wall. No crazy!Cas. It would pretty much derail everything that came after. So maybe it'd still be Sam and Dean on the road, hunting, and Cas helping out. Or maybe Cas would sacrifice his grace to prevent the apocalypse and become human, become Sam and Dean's permanent third wheel. I'm sure it would make for boring TV but sometimes I think I'd prefer that, the boys still being small potatoes and not legends. And since Josie/Abbadon popping in through the closet would have happened no matter what, the boys would still have the bunker for home base, so they could do small, domestic things like learning to cook or having a pet. Netflix binges on the couch with hot cocoa and blankets. A whole season of bickering over what to watch next, and Sam and Cas playing footsie under the blanket. Yeah. I could go for that.

~~~


	4. Day 2, Take 2: Consultant/Flight Attendant AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I definitely like this one better. I started this as a “take your fandom to work day” ficlet. Like I said, first times are minimum 10k for me, so this is the bare bones of the idea, but I hope it is fun, anyway.

~~~

Sam sighs as he watches the elderly couple dither in front of the x-ray machine. "No ma'am, you don't need to take your iPad out of your bag," he says helpfully. "Or take off your shoes. It's pre-check."

The lady smiles at him but the old man regards him suspiciously. "What about my hearing aid?"

"No, it'll be fine, sir," Sam says, trying to hurry them through. He's not going to be late for his flight, but if it takes him more than ten minutes to get through security, he gets cranky. The lady is pulling out her liquids. He waves her off. "You got special pre-check status on your ticket. You don't have to do any of that stuff."

"Oh, thank you!" she says, like Sam made the rules. He grins and pushes their stuff into the machine ahead of his own.

The man sets off the metal detector and glares at Sam like it's his fault. "Sir, do you have a joint replacement?" the TSA agent asks.

When he says he has a hip, she directs him over to the scanner and Sam gets to go through the metal detector. _Finally._ He impatiently waits for his stuff to come out of the x-ray and grabs it as soon as it does, stalking away from security with only a tight smile as the elderly lady says, "Thank you again!"

He gets to his gate just in time for boarding, claiming his upgrade to first class and settling in with his laptop open, working on his pet side project. 

The flight attendant is a man, not unheard of but definitely in the minority, and he's the weird kind of impeccably polite where he requires an answer to all his questions, spoken or unspoken.

Sam's not big into snacks or drinks, especially not on the 6am flight, but because he's awake, the flight attendant – Castiel, the pilot provides a few minutes after takeoff – waits next to him until he looks up and indicates that no, he doesn't want alcohol at six-thirty in the damn morning.

He knows he's just irritated because he's starting at a new client, but he tries to let it go as he finishes up his infographic for the transformation team. He closes the his laptop just as they're beginning their descent and sits back to take a deep breath. That was his last loose end before he starts the new client today. This time next week, he'll be buried in a whole new heap of work.

Castiel brings their jackets around to them as the seatbelt light goes back on, and gives Sam his with a huge smile. "Such broad shoulders," he says, handing it off.

Sam is momentarily speechless before he gets it together to say, "Uh, thanks?"

Castiel just smiles at him brightly and says, "You're welcome."

When they pull up to the gate, Castiel gives the whole spiel, welcoming them to Boston and the whole nine yards, and ending with, "And from your Chicago-based flight crew, thanks for flying the friendly skies!"

That captures Sam's interest for half a second – it's rare that the Monday morning flight crew is from his city; he's certainly never seen any of them before and he's been flying on Monday mornings for years. He's actually never had the same flight attendant twice, which is why they are perfect for messing around with, though he's over that phase of being a consultant. He sowed his wild oats years ago. He vaguely wishes he'd paid more attention to Castiel during the flight, now; he is handsome and has a fascinating voice and Sam might have flirted his way into a date. 

He sighs heavily as the plane lands and he gets up and ready to present himself to the new client. Missed opportunities. Dean's always goading him for being too focused, for not paying enough attention to his surroundings. He'll have a great time with this one.

~~~

The week passes slowly since the client hasn't even got him set up with access yet. He hates the first couple of weeks at a new client. He twiddles his thumbs most of the day, pokes people via email and messenger, and spends his evenings watching reality television after his run.

The Thursday flight back home is full and he doesn't get upgraded. He hates trying to squeeze himself into the regular seats; even the exit rows and bulkheads are uncomfortable for his long legs. He resigns himself to a long, crappy flight as he boards and puts everything up – the bulkhead has a lot of leg-room on this model but no underseat storage – and stays on his phone as long as he can. He's having a text argument with Dean about where to go for their usual Friday night beer, burgers, and pool meet-up. 

"Excuse me, sir, you'll need to put that on airplane mode."

The voice is vaguely familiar, and as he hits send on his final offer to Dean, he looks up to indicate he's doing it. He smiles apologetically – always best to butter up your flight attendants – and meets the startling blue eyes of the flight attendant from Monday. 

"Hi," he says, which is weird, but he can't remember the guy's name to make it less weird. "You were on my Monday flight."

_Way to go, Sam, way to make it less weird._

"I was," the guy – it was an unusual name, why can't Sam remember it? – says. "Missed the upgrade this time, hm?"

"Yeah," Sam says, "Thursdays are always tougher."

"Hm." The guy points down at his phone. "It's off now?" 

"Yeah," Sam says. "No more texts. Promise."

Castiel raises a disbelieving eyebrow. Sam can see or hear at least seven other people still on their phones, so it's not like it isn't a fair guess. "Excellent, sir. Enjoy your flight."

It's such a formal response. Maybe he's missed his chance. But it's so unheard of, getting the same flight attendant for both of his flights. He has to at least give it a try.

The lead flight attendant comes over the speakers to give the safety lecture and Sam gets the name again – Cas. That doesn't seem quite right, but the other two flight attendants are Joyce and Heather, so he's feeling pretty confident that Cas is his guy. When they complete their safety lecture, Cas sits down in the seat directly in front of Sam. "Cas," he says. "I could've sworn –"

"Short for Castiel," Cas says. "Just depends who I'm flying with."

"Ah," Sam says. "Do you prefer one or the other?"

Cas raises an eyebrow – something Sam remembers vividly from his last flight. Maybe he hasn't missed his chance after all. "Depends who's saying it and why. Not fond of Castiel from my dad, but it's a lot better than my brother calling me Cassie."

Sam grins. "Yeah, I get that. My brother calls me Sammy to get my goat. I've given up trying to change him, so I just have to pretend not to be annoyed. I won't give him the satisfaction."

"So, Samuel, then?"

"Sam." And that's their first real introduction, shit! "Um, nice to meet you, Cas."

"Ditto," Cas says. "So, Monday and Thursday – you're a road warrior, huh?"

"Yep," Sam answers. "Audit assistance for places that have federal grants."

"Sounds complicated," Cas says, and Sam rolls his eyes.

"Sounds boring."

Cas laughs, and Sam was already smitten without that, but Cas's smile is enough to light up a room. "Well it's not like being a flight attendant is all thrills."

Sam knows it's miserable – he's seen just about every sort of harassment possible of flight attendants and he does his level best not to be that asshole. "You're really good at it, though," he says, which is kind of lame, complimenting someone on their job. Especially since Cas is currently working, and Sam is technically his customer. 

"Thanks," Cas says drily, and the 10,000 foot elevation bell goes off as if on cue. "And that's for me," he says, unbuckling and standing up. "Let me know if I can get you anything, Sam."

Sam smiles and lets Cas get back to his job, trying to be patient for the first hour of the flight. He has the timing of the drinks down; he knows once they're served and the flight attendants have done a trash run, Cas might be able to sit down for a few minutes and talk again.

Sam's tempted to drink; it's free in this section and it might help him loosen up a little. He decides against it when Cas asks for his order. He doesn't want him to think he's one of those guys that gets trashed on their flight home every week.

Cas is busy for nearly the whole flight. He comes to specifically check on Sam a couple times – enough that the teenager next to him asks if he'll get her another Sprite, since she can't seem to get the attention of any of the attendants – but he doesn't have the time to sit down or chat. 

The second stop, though, he offers to take Sam's jacket again, murmuring something about Sam's shoulders. Sam gets up to pull out his laptop at some point; he can't concentrate on work, but he buys wifi and surfs for a while, catching up on all the social media he doesn't really have time for during the week.

He catches Cas's eye nearly every time he walks by, and gives him a smile. Cas smiles back and Sam is on cloud nine. After a while he gives up on Twitter and just scrolls through /r/aww instead.

Cas looks over his shoulder at one point, actually saying, "Aww," about a basket of kittens and Sam's only a little embarrassed to be caught out.

He can feel when the plane starts descending and starts packing up before the pilot comes on to mention it. He waffled for a moment about making Cas come over and tell him to shut it down, but he'll have a few minutes with Cas as they land, so maybe he can get over his nerves and just ask him out.

Cas comes back with his jacket in the buzz of pre-landing tasks, and tuts as Sam sits forward to put it on. "Shame to hide those shoulders," he says, and Sam laughs.

"Excuse you, my jackets are tailored to show off my figure."

Cas gives him an obvious once over and says, "I can think of better ways to do that."

Sam is speechless for a second but the teenage girl in the seat next to him elbows him and gives him the most obvious 'make-your-move' face he's ever seen. He decides to take her advice. "Maybe you can give me some tips over dinner sometime."

Cas laughs, and the sound lights up Sam's world. When Cas says, "I'm free tonight," Sam can't believe he was even nervous. The nerves return though, as he wracks his brain for a restaurant open this late that's not too far from the airport.

"Great," he says, smiling nervously. "Got any suggestions on where to go?"

"Yeah," Cas says. "I know a place."

~~~

The next morning, after Sam's pushed his first two calls of the day and scrounged eggs and bacon up for breakfast in bed, he spends the day testing out Cas's name, and finds out maybe he likes the way Castiel sounds on his tongue when he's breathless.

~~~


	5. Day 3: Outsider POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning, dear Sastiel friend! Today comes with two possible themes built in, so it's not impossible that you'll get a second something later today. I have work to do first, but Sastiel's been a lot more fun lately, so hopefully you'll get a double dose today, too. This one is outside POV.

~~~

I think the most interesting outsider POV on Sastiel is probably Balthazar. Everyone else saw Dean and Cas's staring contests and thought there was something more there. But Balthazar? He **knew** Cas. And he knew Cas's heart. He loved humans, and saving Dean Winchester meant he had a particular affinity for him, but it was Sam that was going to make him fall.

Castiel was still an angel, and Sam's faith shone like a beacon. Any angel could see it, if they didn't get too caught up in the demon blood. Sure, Sam had some nastiness going on, but what human didn't? And Sam wasn't even to blame for his; the angels had let Azazel do his dirty work to get their apocalypse. 

Balthazar was pretty sure once Cas worked that out, he'd fall head over heels for Sam Winchester, the boy who overcame his demon blood. He was even rooting for the kid, but once Cas broke Sam's wall, that was the beginning of the end. A Castiel who would do such a thing was one that had lost sight of why he was trying to stop Raphael in the first place. 

He didn't mind a little time travel here or there, so while he still had time, he went into the future a bit to see how things turned out for his little Cassie. 

He wasn't surprised to find himself dead. He knew it was coming; once Cas had broken Sam's wall, he knew he would be next on the list. He was surprised to see Cas turn away from the souls – and then again, not surprised that it was Sam's prayer that had convinced him.

Sam's faith glowed even brighter. It seemed that every hardship endured just made it more beautiful. He skipped ahead a few years and wasn't surprised to find out the Winchesters had truly stepped in it and released the Darkness. An angel-planned apocalypse had nothing on God's sister. 

But when he went forward in time another few years, expecting nothing more than space dust, he was surprised to see Earth still spinning, and the Winchesters at the center of everything. They had circumvented more apocalypses than he would have thought possible; God himself seemed to have put them on the front lines of defending Earth. Not the kind of superheroes Earthlings imagined, but with Sam's faith still shining so brightly and Cassie back at full power, probably ones that were good enough.

He stayed in the future for just long enough to make sure Sam and Cas had figured themselves out, long enough to see the Cas declare his love to an unconscious Sam and Dean to tell Sam what the angel had said. 

Sam hadn't wanted to believe it – that bright shining faith of his extended to everyone except himself – but Cas finally plucked up the courage to say the words when Sam could hear them, and was rewarded with a kiss, one heartfelt, shining kiss, and Balthazar was nearly blinded by Sam's faith.

~~~


	6. Day 3, Take 2: Day in the Life/Day 4: Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear Sastiel partner in crime! I was originally writing the “day in the life” prompt when it went somewhere super angsty, and so I’m calling it my half and half prompt, an angsty day in the life of Castiel. Hope you enjoy!

~~~

Castiel has never had a particular care about time. There was no need. Time was measured in the movements of the universe, galactic tides and the birth of stars. Certainly he had no need to think in such tiny increments as a day.

Once the humans had advanced enough to want to measure time – still done by the stars, but so ignorant of the miniscule scale they were measuring – he had been called on to watch them. Millenia passed, the humans scuttling around in their short existences, and Castiel observed. There was not much of interest in the world of humans for a long time.

Taking a vessel required more attention to the infinitesimal increments of time and he began to note the major hallmarks – daylight and darkness; awake or asleep; homebound or elsewhere. He needed to stay close to Jimmy to convince him quickly. His other vessels had been persuaded over decades of simple conversations. Jimmy he needed as quickly as possible. Thankfully Jimmy was devout and Castiel was able to take him as a vessel within weeks and mount his rescue to save Dean Winchester. 

Time moves differently in Hell, and the years he spent fighting his way to the Righteous Man are corroded in his memory, the nature of the space between moments warped to give Hell the advantage of more time to corrupt souls.

Keeping his vessel made him more aware of time and the small moments. Being inside a human limited the scope of his senses, but being around the Winchesters heightened his experiences, so it was a trade off. 

After he meets Sam, the concept of counting days, of organizing a life around light and dark, sleeping and waking, working and relaxing... it's appealing in a way he might never have imagined, had he not kept a vessel for so long. 

The longer he is with the vessel, even after the soul departs for Heaven, the more he understands humans, the utter chaos of their existence and their desire to make sense of it. Their conception of time makes sense as he begins to understand the ways they try to create order out of things that will always be utterly out of their control.

He learns to especially appreciate the time between days, when darkness descends and humans still, and he can watch Sam set aside his burden for a precious few hours. 

Castiel has slept. He knows the complete surrender of the consciousness to the human body's need for rest. It is uncomfortable for him; approaching what he feels must be death. Humans don't fear this, though, they give in willingly to the nothingness, and often hope dreams don't come. 

Or at least, Sam wishes dreams don't come. He has some pleasant ones. A recurring dream of his mother, a lazy day beside a stream with his brother. Most of Sam's dreams are not so pleasant, so when Castiel has the time to direct his attention to Sam's sleep, he assists Sam's mind in descending to the dreamless state, providing Sam with rest and Castiel with relief. 

If only he could take such burdens from Sam when he is awake.

~~~


	7. Day 5: Autumn themed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I admit, much as I love fall, the thing that always, always, ALWAYS screams fall to me is: Pumpkin Spice. And I don't even eat or drink anything flavored with it, just seeing it everywhere makes me grin, even if the rest of fall is way behind schedule, like it was this year.

~~~

"It's ninety degrees out, Dean," Sam says, rolling his eyes at his brother's name on the cup. He can't even see him, but he used his best call-out voice, he knows Dean heard him. "I can't believe you're making me steam milk for you. For a PSL. You're a walking cliché."

"It's fall, Sammy," Dean says, poking his head around the corner of the counter. "You can almost smell snow on the air."

Sam rolls his eyes and hands over the flavored monstrosity. "Gross," he adds, just because he can.

"You shouldn't bother the barista," someone says, and Sam grins and raises his eyebrows at his brother.

"Yeah, Dean, you shouldn't bother the barista." He turns to the guy who spoke. "Thanks, dude. What's your name? I'll give you an extra shot on the house."

"Castiel," the guy says, and Sam laughs. He knows Castiel – a triple Americano, light ice. They _all_ know Castiel's order. He hadn't realized Castiel had intense blue eyes and liked to stare, though. Sam bumps his order to the front of the line. It's the least he can do.

"Well, no room for another shot there," he jokes. "Maybe next time."

Castiel smiles, and Sam stares at him for a second before unsticking himself enough to smile back. 

"Here you go," he says, handing over the drink. "Thanks for defending my honor."

"Any time," Castiel says, saluting Sam with his drink on his way out.

~~~

Dean comes to pick Sam up after his shift and Sam makes him another PSL for the favor. He could've walked home, but it's hot and miserable, and their air conditioner is shot. He'd really been hoping fall would kick in a little early this year.

"Let's go to the movies," Dean says, and Sam is sorely tempted. He doesn't even know what's out, but it doesn't matter. Movies have air conditioning.

"Can't," Sam says, slipping his backpack over his shoulder. "Astronomy quiz tomorrow."

Dean sighs and slings an arm around Sam's neck. "Fine. I'll drop you at the library? It's open until midnight."

Before Sam can answer, the door to the shop opens and Castiel barrels in, nearly knocking them over. He has a cell phone to his ear and startles when he looks up and sees them. "Sorry," he says, and then into the phone, "Sorry, Balt, I'm just getting to my office. Let me get my coffee and I'll call you back."

Sam shoves Dean off of him and Castiel looks up at him in surprise. "Sorry," he says again. "I have a work deadline tomorrow, I'm a little frazzled."

"No problem," Sam says, pushing Dean toward the door. "I'll get your order for you. I'm just off-shift, but I'm hanging around to study tonight."

Dean gives him an approving eyebrow and says, "I'll be back to pick you up at close." He takes a long sip of his hot coffee and says, "and I'll take another one of these."

He gives Castiel a stern face and Sam could just die, but Castiel seems oblivious and just sets his stuff down at the nearest table. "Triple Americano," he starts, and Sam laughs and finishes, "light ice."

That catches Castiel's notice and he looks up at Sam, finally seeming to be paying actual attention. "Yes," he says, "thank you."

It's not busy tonight, but lots of kids from the university study here, and the tables are full enough that Sam only feels a little nervous when he sets his backpack down on a chair at Castiel's. "Mind if we share?"

Castiel looks up from where he's unpacking two computers and looks at him blankly.

"Unless you need the space," Sam says sheepishly, going for his backpack.

"No," Castiel says, putting a hand over Sam's. "No, sorry, it's fine. I'll be on the phone, though, if it might disturb your studies."

Sam doesn't want to move, because if he does, Castiel might take his hand away. He shrugs one shoulder. "I'm good at concentrating."

Castiel licks his lips and Sam hadn't even meant anything by it, but now he's thinking about concentrating on Castiel's mouth and that is just not going anywhere good. Well, it is going somewhere good, but an embarrassing sort of good, in the middle of his place of employment. He regretfully slips his hand out from under Castiel's. "Better get those drinks," he says, and Castiel gives him a weak smile and goes back to unpacking his stuff onto the table.

Sam smiles back and gives an awkward wave – _what the hell, hands?_ – before heading to the counter and grabbing a venti cup and writing Cas on the top, and his own name and phone number on the bottom. He has to do it very slowly because he's shaking a little, but it comes off all right. He wishes he had any artistic talent at all; he'd put some kind of cheery fall scene on it.

Charlie gives him a knowing smirk when he goes to pick up the drinks, calling Castiel's name loudly, even though Sam is already reaching for it. "Asshole," he hisses, and Charlie shrugs and yells, "Cas?!" in his face.

Castiel turns around, looking straight at Sam, and Sam just shakes his head, holding the drink up. "I'll get you for that," he whispers, but Charlie just laughs.

"Cas?" Castiel asks. "Have you been talking to my brothers?"

Sam shrugs a shoulder up, trying for nonchalant. "My handwriting isn't neat enough to get your whole name on their legibly. Besides, Castiel is a mouthful."

Cas's eyes widen at that, and Sam has to look away because damn it, that is not what he meant. Of course now that he's said it, he can't think of anything else but what parts of Cas he might want in his mouth.

Here," he says, trying to set the cup down very carefully next to Cas with his name and phone number facing just so, but Castiel grabs it before Sam can even get there, so their fingers brush. Sam can't help ducking his head a little, pulling his hand back fast like the touch shocked him. It did tingle a little, but he just rolls his eyes at himself and sits down kitty corner from where Cas has set himself up, pulling out the books he absolutely knows he won't be reading. 

An hour and a half of Sam surreptitiously watching Cas while pretending to study, and Cas still hasn't noticed Sam's scribbles on the bottom of the cup. The coffee is all gone and the glass is sweating with the ice melting inside. Sam doesn't know what to do; it was his one subtle move, and he would probably die if he tried to ask Cas for his number.

When Cas starts to drink the melted ice water, Sam gives up and texts his brother. _**Dean, help. I tried to give Cas my number on his cup but he hasn't noticed and now I feel like an idiot sitting here while I wait for him to figure it out.**_

_Man up and ask him out, Sammy._

_**Not helpful.** _

_Then make him another one and put it in bold caps._

_**Jerk.** _

_Bitch. I'll be there in 15 – make me another PSL._

Sam rolls his eyes but starts packing up. Here endeth his foray into trying to pick up someone at work. If only he could bring himself to be marginally less awkward, or get his mouth to move in any semblance of conversation, witty or otherwise.

Cas notices him packing up and glances at his watch. "Damn, that went fast." He grins at Sam. "Must've been the company."

Sam's pretty sure it's flirting. It feels like it's flirting anyway. "Thanks," he mumbles, zipping up his bag. "I have to get my brother another gross pumpkin spice latte," he says, going for one last-ditch effort. "You want a refill?"

Cas holds up the nearly empty cup and says, "Is that a thing?"

Sam just rolls his eyes. "No, dummy, I'm offering you a freebie."

"Oh." Cas looks at his cup again, Sam's number facing Sam, of course, and just enough water to obscure it from Cas's view. Sam shakes his head. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ "No thanks. I probably want to sleep at some point tonight."

"Right," Sam says, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Well, thanks for sharing your table, anyway," he says, rushing off to the register to be done with the awkward conversation once and for all. Charlie gives him sympathetic eyes for a second before he orders Dean's PSL. Then she rolls her eyes but makes it anyway, and Sam looks up to see Dean stroll in just as Cas has finished packing up and is heading to the trash with his now-empty cup. 

Damn. He really thought he was being smooth there.

He can hear Dean and Cas having a brief conversation but by the time he's turned around to look, Cas is headed out the door, not a look back at him or Dean or anything. He sighs. 

"DEAN WINCHESTER," Charlie yells, and Dean saunters over to pick up his coffee.

"Blew it, eh kid?" he says, ruffling Sam's hair.

Sam sighs. "Yeah. Seriously didn't think it was going that badly."

His phone buzzes in his pocket. The way his heart skips is probably not good for him, but he digs for his phone, nearly fumbling it out of his hands. 

"Smooth," Dean says, but there's a text from an unknown number, and Sam's hands shake as he unlocks the phone. 

_Can we try sharing a table again, maybe? With food instead of books and computers?_

_**Cas?** _

_…_   
_Just how many people do you give your phone number to, that you have to ask that question?_

_**Didn't think you caught that.** _

_I didn't. Your brother is a lot smoother than you are._

_**Thanks.** _

_I prefer people who are honest over those who are smooth. So, dinner?_

_**I'd like that.** _

~~~


	8. Day 6: Episode Related for 10.07 Girls, Girls, Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear Sastiel friend! I know there are a lot of really great Sastiel episodes, but I wanted to maybe take something that *wasn't* a great Sastiel episode but that had important happenings that could translate to something Sastiel-ish. Like 10.07 Girls Girls Girls, where Hannah pretended Cas was her boyfriend and they talked about vessels and angels and humans and emotions and then Hannah gave up her vessel because she knew those emotions were not hers. Also (just in case you haven't seen the episode recently, heh), Dean had the second fight with Cole, which Sam interrupted, and where he said that he expects his life to end violently. Also apologies because apparently I simply cannot write kissing without a 2k word build-up, so… sorry?

~~~

After a case, Sam takes a couple hours on his own, closing his eyes and reviewing it, particularly things that bother him. He doesn't like unknowns where monsters are concerned, and it also helps him to keep on top of Dean's mental state. Whether or not Dean's lying to him, or if Dean's lying even to himself, those subtleties are very important to how Sam navigates around Dean.

This time it's just Dean lying to Sam – he knows the difference between Dean putting a show on for him and Dean being unable to deal with something and ignoring it because it's easier. Sam's worried, because while Dean's not lying to himself, he's not looking at the bigger picture and he's also refusing help. 

There's a knock at his door and it takes Sam a minute to put a pin in it so he can gird his loins for the kind of conversation with Dean that starts with him _knocking_. 

"Yeah," Sam says, a little surprised that Dean didn't open the door right away; he's not usually one to be considerate. 

The door still doesn't open and Sam's starting to wonder if maybe he was just hearing things when there's another knock. He gets up and pulls the door open, surprised to see Cas on the other side of it.

"Oh, hey, Cas." He opens the door all the way and steps back. Cas looks at him for just a second before stepping inside the door and turning to the bookshelves to see what Sam's been reading. He always does that, a brief check on Sam's physical state before looking for evidence of his mental and emotional states.

"Hello, Sam. How have you been?"

Sam shrugs, not realizing until Cas turns around to look at him that he couldn't have seen it. "Fine, I guess. Found a new major threat we have to track. Nine-hundred year old witch."

"You've let witches live before, even ones as old as that."

Sam shrugs again. Patrick isn't straight up evil, but stealing years from people definitely isn't something you do for the greater good. He's still on their list, he's just not as bad as some of the other threats they keep their eye on. "Yeah, but she's straight up evil. Turns people into rabid dogs as a distraction for getaway and then leaves them to die. She kills a lot of people wherever she goes."

"I see." Cas returns to the books, picking up _Treatise on Demonic Possession_ and glancing at Sam's dog-eared pages. "How is Dean?"

Sam shrugs. "Not good. Not rock bottom yet, but definitely on a downhill slide."

"I'm sorry to hear that." 

Sam just nods. He appreciates Cas's concern, and the fact that Cas will take it seriously and continue to help in any way he can, even if that's just listen to Sam bitch about his brother. "How's things with the angels?"

Cas stops in his tracks, setting the book back down on the desk and turning to face Sam. "Hannah has returned to Heaven."

"Oh," Sam says. He's not really sure what that means. "So the mission is done?"

"No," Cas answers, and Sam's about to ask another question when Cas continues. "She wanted to let her vessel return to her life."

Sam doesn't know what to say. He never really thought about vessels much; he didn't like it, but his own experience with possession was awful and he doesn't like to think about Cas causing that for someone else, so he presses it down, ignores it.

"She said that her vessels emotions were affecting her, and that angels are not meant for such things."

There's a thread here that Sam's just starting to unravel; Cas is thoughtful in the way he gets when he's worrying at some human thing he's trying to understand. Sam's seen it about a number of different things, but he can't be sure what it is this time.

"Mmm hmm?" Sam often can't follow the thread of Cas's arguments until he's mired too deep to get out of them, and he's found it better just to listen for a while and try to put all the pieces together before offering any advice or theories.

"She kissed me."

It's a bit of a shock; he knows Cas isn't a virgin, and there was that… whatever… with Meg, but he still has always seen Cas as something of a non-sexual being. He's never shown anything more than an intellectual curiosity about it. "And?"

Cas sighs, turning away from Sam to look down at the desk again. "It was a ploy. Her vessel's husband found us. She was trying to let him down gently, I suppose. Let him think she had left him for another man."

Sam's not really sure how that's letting someone down gently. It's easier and more convenient than trying to explain angel possession, but that's for the angel, not the human. That woman's poor husband. "That's…" Sam can't quite get himself to fill in the rest of the sentence. If he's truthful, he's not really sure how he feels about it.

"Her vessel was upset. Hannah realized that she did not want to harm a human any more than she had already, and decided to leave her vessel and return to Heaven."

 _Oh._ Suddenly he has a lot more respect for Hannah. "That's kind of her."

Cas nods his head. "I wish I had been able to be as strong for Jimmy."

Sam's stomach drops. Most of the time, he ignores thoughts of Jimmy because he has to compartmentalize to do the job, and he can't go around having confused feelings about Cas because of his vessel. He does wish Jimmy could have a life, but he doesn't know what they'd do without Cas. He could still be around them in his angelic form, but they wouldn't be able to interact with him. The thought fills Sam with dread – a directly conflicting feeling to the guilt he feels about Jimmy. But then – Castiel had been human, briefly. How had he and Jimmy shared a human body then? "Cas," he starts, looking for the words to express the writhing mass of feelings he has going on. "Is Jimmy…"

"Jimmy is in Heaven, Sam. Have I not told you so? He went to Heaven a long time ago."

Sam nods, the relief that floods into his limbs making him feel shaky. He doesn't want to speak in case his voice shakes.

"This human body is mine, and has been mine alone for a long time. So I have been struggling with Hannah's sentiments. I have emotions. Strong emotions, where you are concerned. And I have no human vessel to blame them on. Does that mean they are mine?" 

Sam's not able to follow all of that; he gets derailed on the fact that Cas has strong emotions about… him? Them? Him and Dean, like, family feelings, probably, right? Right.

"I…" 

_I am terrified what that might mean._

_I worry enough about you, Cas, without worrying I might hurt you emotionally, too._

_I hope I'm not having a fucking heart attack right now because I swear my heart's going to bust out of my rib cage in a second, here._

"Yeah, I… I guess they're yours? You spend more time in a vessel than most angels, don't you?"

Cas looks up, meeting Sam's eyes and holding them, like he used to do all the time before he knew it was weird and made talking difficult. 

"I like my vessel. The constriction helps me to remember to put humans first. It is calming."

It reminds Sam a little of anxiety vests for little dogs that are supposed to make them less nervous. He can't help laughing. Cas frowns. 

"Sorry, Cas, it's just. Nothing. So – I mean, I guess these feelings are yours, then. Is that a bad thing?"

Cas lowers his eyes and hums thoughtfully. "It is frustrating when some of the feelings are confusion and uncertainty."

 _Ha!_ In Sam's experience, most emotions come with a side of confusion and uncertainty. "Well, emotions are mixed up like that. It's pretty rare to have a single, clear emotion." Cas nods and Sam adds, "I'm here, if you want to talk about them. Sometimes it helps."

"Yes," Cas says. "The kiss Hannah and I shared was confusing."

Sam closes his eyes to avoid rolling them so Cas can see. That is definitely not the kind of thing he was planning to help with. He sighs and opens them again, careful to put his own discomfort away and be a good friend for Cas. "Confusing how?"

"It was pleasant. Similar to the way my kiss with Meg was pleasant, and my sexual relations with April."

Sam does roll his eyes at that. "Well, yeah, Cas, kissing is nice."

"From the stories Metatron downloaded in my brain, kisses are supposed to be more than pleasant. They're supposed to be tied to desire. Love."

 _Oh boy. Go straight for the hard questions, why don't you._ "Well, yes," Sam hedges. "Kissing is a pleasant physical sensation, but usually it is tied to an emotional one. It wasn't, for you?"

Cas continues to stare at Sam as he explains. His face is so expressive. When had that happened? For a long time, he'd thought of Cas as impassive, but he can see what Cas is feeling all over his face. "It was tied to a general care for their well-being. Perhaps more than that with Meg, though I wasn't as attuned to it back then. But no, nothing like those romance movies Metatron stuck in my brain. Nothing _passionate_."

Sam moves to the bed and sits down on the end of it. This feels like the start of a really long conversation and he needs to get more comfortable. "Well, maybe you weren't really attracted to them. Have you ever felt attracted to anyone?"

Sam watches Cas's expressive face, a storm of emotions crossing it as he processes Sam's statement. The turmoil slows and his gaze goes from an inward, looking-at-the-middle-distance sort of thing to a coming-back-to-himself-and-staring-at-Sam sort of thing. "I don't know. I think… maybe. Yes."

"Well, if they're attracted to you too, then maybe you should try kissing them." Sam's curious who Cas might have been attracted to if not Meg, April, or Hannah, but it's none of his business, so he doesn't ask.

Cas nods thoughtfully, his gaze dropping again as he considers Sam's words. He looks up suddenly, and Sam can see the fear on his face clearly. "How do I know if the person is attracted to me?"

 _Crap._ This is definitely a conversation that could take all night, so Sam backs up, props a pillow under his back, and leans back against the headboard. "Well, Cas, most people have to stumble through that part. If you were human, you probably wouldn't have to ask. A lot of people can tell from how it feels, and how the other person reacts to them."

"I see," Cas says, taking a breath and pausing before he adds, "And what kind of reactions show attraction?" He moves forward, gesturing at the end of the bed like Sam would ever say no to him sitting down. 

Sam waves his hand at the blanket dismissively, like _of course_. "Well, they seem happy to see you when you show up and make excuses to be near you or spend time together. Usually for me, there's a certain kind of eye contact, where you know the other person is checking you out."

"Checking you out," Cas repeats, and Sam closes his eyes again slowly, taking a deep breath and smiling. 

_Patience,_ he tells himself. _This conversation requires patience._

"Yeah, Cas, it's…" He can't believe this. He knows he could describe it, but it would take forever and Cas would probably misunderstand anyway. "It's kinda like this." He focuses on Cas's eyes, sweeps his gaze down Cas's body, noticing on the way down that Cas's tie is backwards again and he's sitting with one leg under him – not typical, from Sam's experience. He gets it together when he hits Cas's shoe and remembers what he's supposed to be doing and actually considers Cas's body on the way up. He's never quite looked at it that way before, as something he might be attracted to, and he's a little embarrassed when his eyes meet Cas's again. He gives Cas a nervous smile, which is not the kind of suave move he wanted to showcase but is hardly going to matter in the scheme of things.

"Right," Cas says. "That is… helpful."

Sam is suddenly nervous. Cas is terrible at reading body language of other humans, and only gets it mostly right with him and Dean because he's known them so long. The last thing he wants to do is get Cas into trouble with the person he's possibly crushing on. "But even that isn't for certain. To be honest, you never really know unless you ask."

There, that should work. If the person is attracted to Cas, they probably expect an awkward sort of question and it won't put them off. Better that than having Cas trying to kiss people that glance his way accidentally when they're picking up their coffee or something.

"Okay," Cas says, standing up. 

Sam glances around, trying to figure out if something caught Cas's attention or if maybe that really was enough information and he's going to leave it at that. Cas comes around the side of the bed and sits down next to Sam, right at his knee. Sam has to scoot over to make room. He doesn't even sweat it, he just wishes Cas would've picked the side of the bed with some room –

"Sam, are you attracted to me?"

Sam nearly swallows his tongue. That's not at all where he thought this conversation was headed. It's like taking a switchback at breakneck speeds. "Wh – what?"

"Are you attracted to me?" Cas demands, holding Sam's eyes again, which is normal for Cas but also not normal because Sam really needs a second to gather his wits and he doesn't like to look away from Cas first. "You always greet me warmly when I see you. You occasionally call me to join you. You just 'checked me out.'"

"I – I –" Sam's dumbfounded because Cas is not wrong, but – "I was showing you. Giving you an example of what it might look like so you had something to compare it to."

Cas is still holding his eyes so Sam can't really concentrate on his expression, but it doesn't seem to change much. "And the other things?"

Sam blinks, unthinkingly breaking eye contact with Cas and giving him a moment to look away and gather his wits. Clearly there's something more than friendship going on with Cas or he would have denied it without a thought. He… when? He can't figure out how this happened, how Cas went from being his unwilling ally to his friend to… what? What exactly? "Well, Cas, friends do those things too. Dean's always glad to see you and asks you to meet us, too."

"So you are not attracted to me." Cas drops his head and stands up abruptly. "I apologize, I –"

"No," Sam says, because based on the way his heart sank when Cas moved away from him, this is something he shouldn't run away from. "Sorry, Cas, this is that confusion and uncertainty thing. I… this… " He runs his hands through his hair, takes a second to put together some coherent words. "I didn't realize this was a possibility." A nagging thought makes Sam blurt out the question: "Are you attracted to me?"

Cas comes back to sit on the bed, close enough to touch but keeping the slight space for the moment. "I think so," Cas says. "But as you say, I am uncertain. Perhaps we should kiss to be sure."

Cas smiles then, something so unusual that it makes Sam's heart flip, and Sam leans forward, a slow-motion movement of consent, one he hope Cas understands. It's a long moment, one that feels like balancing on the edge of the void, before Cas leans in too and they meet for a kiss. 

It is sweet. Sam has rarely been kissed with such care, as if he is something fragile. It's… not his typical style, really, and he thinks, _hmmm, maybe not_ for just a millisecond before Cas comes back, crashing into his mouth and grabbing his shirt and turning everything desperate and blinding for a long moment that leaves Sam heaving afterward. 

Cas smiles again, a big, genuine smile, and he reaches up to finger comb Sam's hair, leaving his fingers tangled in it at the base of Sam's skull when he's finished. Sam's heart skips again and Cas says, "My uncertainty has been banished. Yours?"

Sam puts a hand on Cas's neck, drawing him back in as he says, "Yeah, Cas. No uncertainty here."

~~~


	9. Day 7: Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite headcanon for how everyone gets a happy ending. I'm rolling up Wayward Sisters into it because I just want everyone to be happy and smart and safe and the Winchesters (and Cas) not to be alone anymore.

~~~

In retrospect, it'd been so obvious. Sam'd been an idiot for not figuring it out sooner.

Granted, their fuck-ups had gotten exponentially worse for a few years there, but that was the whole thing. They needed to do better by younger hunters so they could pick up the slack on the small potatoes, and Sam, Dean, and Cas could handle the world-ending bullshit.

It started with Krissy, Josephine, and Aidan. Victor had left them the house, but the inheritance tax was so high they'd had to sell it. Not that they'd really wanted to live there after all that anyway. But they'd made it through college in a cheap apartment with a diet of ramen noodles and mac and cheese… and then they'd decided they wanted to hunt for real. No nine to fives for them. 

They were broke, though, and Sam just did it without thinking – he offered for them to come stay at the bunker for a while. They'd been on speaker phone and Dean was right there, so he could've objected if he really wanted to, but all Sam got was a dirty look. Dean was never big on impulse decisions, but he usually didn't object unless there was a real reason for it.

So the kids moved in and everything was fine for a while until Dean happened to pick up one of Aidan's guns and saw how filthy it was. A full day lecture/punishment of cleaning all the lesser hardware in the bunker was what came of it. Watching Dean patiently and carefully show the kids how to care for their guns was a revelation. 

It's one of those things he's always known about Dean; he's good with kids. Well, maybe not always. It was a shock that first time, with Lucas. But after that, it became obvious that Dean just had a way about him that kids appreciated. Women liked Sam's puppy dog eyes, but kids liked Dean's honesty.

And then, because Krissy has always been an overachiever, she started asking Sam about spellwork. Making protection charms and other useful things. It was such a college kid thing to do – there was a whole library of new information and they all just thirsted to know more. 

And Josephine. 

Well, she was the best at getting them to tell stories. It started with Cas. She would ask him questions until something sparked her interest and then just keep pushing until he would tell her what she was looking for – in the most boring and vague way possible. So Dean or Sam would jump in to tell the actual story, and after a while she started typing while paying rapt attention, or recording them on her phone . It was weird, to consider that they had so many stories, or that there was someone to share them with.

And now they're here. Max and Alicia came to visit and never left. Jody's house had burned down a few years ago now, so of course they'd taken her, Donna, and the girls in. They've picked up a few more young people along the way, and they're basically running a school for misfit hunters.

Sam looooooves it. And he loves that Dean loves it. Dean is a spectacularly good teacher, and passing on knowledge that might keep other hunters safe gave him a purpose and reason to stay. They still go out on hunts from time to time, but it turns out the less they go out, the less big fucking trouble smacks them in the face. 

So neither of them has to make the stupid decisions to save the other, and as long as at least one seasoned hunter goes along on hunts, they end well. The kids have taught them things too, about safety and caution – watching Dean consider plans of attack instead of just barreling in is amazing. And of course Cas has enough mojo to heal just about anything except death. They haven't had anyone die in several years, though, knock wood.

The adults have taken rooms in the upstairs wing, away from the kids. The old sleeping rooms are like a dorm, and that was the first thing Sam had done when he got to college was to get the hell out of the dorms.

He and Cas finally got together about twelve years ago, Krissy and Josephine egging them on. Sam had actually gotten red-faced the day they snapped a picture of him and Cas leaving his room in the morning. 

Cas hadn't stayed at the bunker before that. He was there often, visited for days or weeks at a time, even. He had a room, though they never found him in it. Sam always found him wandering the library at odd hours and would keep him company if he seemed lonely. He'd mostly gotten over missing the other angels by that point but it always made Sam ache to think of how much he'd given up for them, so losing a couple hours of sleep keeping Cas company seemed a small price to pay.

It's been about fifteen years since they started taking in strays, and the newest crop of hunters are still fresh enough that he can't remember all their names. He doesn't have to anymore. Anything he might have taught has been taken over by people that are more current on what's going on out there. He's basically become the principal of Winchesters' School for Hunters, and designed a curriculum and schedule. He's also the new Bobby for the kids, taking calls and vetting IDs. He keeps them in cereal and mac and cheese and keeps his eye on the news because old habits die hard. Whenever he brings up a possible case to Mackenzie, though, she rolls her eyes and says, "Got someone on it, boss."

And then if she's feeling cheeky, she'll tell him to go back to his boyfriend, and he will. He doesn't have any idea how this is the way they ended up, but it's the most good he's ever done in the world, and he hasn't shot a gun except on their practice range for at least four years, which feels surprisingly good. 

"Hey Cas," he says, handing off some hot chocolate. He's writing up a syllabus for a course about the tablets and their subjects. 

"Thank you," he says, taking it and wrapping his hands around it. He's started to appreciate warmth. Sam worries that it means his grace is fading, but he'd never actually bring it up and he knows Cas won't either.

"They're playing classic Disney movies tonight in the screening room," Sam says. "Thought you might want to take a break for Beauty and the Beast."

"Hmm, thank you," Cas says, reaching out to take Sam's hand and placing a kiss on top of it. He packs up his notes and sets them aside on one of the shelves to be continued later. "Will there be popcorn?"

Sam shakes his head. "You know there will. Don't even pretend."

Cas pouts a little – he's finally gotten good at some of the human communications methods and he hates it when Sam calls him out. He's so cute Sam leans down to give him a kiss, and Cas hold his hot chocolate away from them so it doesn't spill while he turns into the kiss. Sam smiles, takes the mug out of his hands, and gives him a shove down the hallway where their family is waiting on them.  



End file.
